Pneumatic tire



May 22, 1923. 1,456,062

E. B; KILLENv PNEUMATIC TIRE Filed Aug. 20. 1920 ifv sheets-sheet 1May22, 1923. 1,456,062

' E. B. KILLEN PNEUMATIC TIRE 4 Filed Aug. 20, 1920 s sheets-sheet 2 Mayz2, 1923. 1,456,062 v E. B. KILLEN PNEUMATIC TIR ,Filed Aug. zo. 1920 vs sheets-sheet 3 Patented May 22, 1923.

PA e FrlcE.

EDWARD BRICE KILLEN, 0F LONDON, ENGLAND.

rNEUMA'rIc TIRE.

Application led August 20, 1920. Serial No. 404,840.

To all whom it may concern Be itknown that I, EDWARD BRICE KIL- LEN, of27 Queen Victoria Street, London, E. C. 4, England, engineer, haveinvented certain. new and useful Improvements in or Relating toPneumatic Tires, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is specially suitable when constructing Giant inflatedtypes of tires,

and-when used it enables an abnormal flexing or cushioning effect to besafely obtained when running on the road, combined with a much lowerweight, eater strength and cheaper first cost, besi es other advantages.In order that my invention may be prop'- erly understood and readilycarried into ef-A feet, I have hereunto appended three sheets ofdrawings, of which- Figure 1 shows la cross-section of my type' ofinflated tire in which the whole cover of the tire which appears outsidethe tires metal retaining rims or flanges forms a wide gable-like treadhaving a blunt treading apex and right and left inextensible base beads,the stron foundation of the tire cover being less vt 'an a semi-circle.

Figure 2 is-asimilar cross-section to Figure 1 showing my tire under sayan inch give or deflection in road contact.

Figure 3 is a similar cross-section to Figure 1 and Fi re 2 showing mytire absor ing abnorme road shocks or being over-,

and left inextensible base beads 4 and 5. In,.

this invention the whole of the tire cover `1 which is above or outsidethe wheels metal tire retaining rims or flanges 6 and 7, is

constructed to be a shock-absorbin` tread and is more or less triangularin s ape in cross-section, having a suitable flexible blunt apex orextremev circumference part 8 formed on and about the ti`res centre liney 9. v The whole of the tires cover in crosssection which extends beyondthe wheels tire retaining metal rims or flanges 6 and 7 is practicallytriangular in shape, but hav- Y ing a flexible blunt treading apexy orexi take farm capable of being snugly fitted over the metal bedcircumference 10Y of a suitable wheel.

This type of tire, when used, enables chassis to travel over all typesof roads and negotiate soft as wellas hard reduce over so t ground,l thewide gable-llke tread being abnormally wide in effect on soft ground,and narrow in effect when travelling on hard or good roads, as and whenrequired, and on each gable-like side of the wide tread are'preferablyformed suitable endless grooves 11-12-13 and 14 15--16 or cavitieswhenkrequired, which facilitate the tread flexingA abnormally, and onthev blunt apex `or extreme circumference part 8 are formed suitablecavities 17 and 18, and grooves when required.l This gable-likeconstruction of tread enables a non-skidding effect to be obtained inroad or ground contact. With this tire a at circumferential road contact`is obtaine under both light and heavy loads, but with increase of loadon good or hard roads the tread is narrow for the greater part of itswork, thereby bringing into road contact a greater crcumferentia' areaof tire wall to carry the heavier loads, and actually increasing thetires elective strength with increase of load, as and when re uired, seeFigure 1. In other words, the 'e ectual in- .c-rease of tire width isheld inA reserve to deal with excessive overloads or abnormal roadshocks, as and when required, see Figures 2 and 3.

ound, and to This construction of tire cover enables a relatively-narrow efective tread to be in -road contact when carrying light loads,see

Figure l, but when the tire is overloaded the effective width of thetire .when in road contact may beautomatically increased two or threetimes as and when required, be' self-adjusting'to the load carrled orshoc received, and sensitive under minimum loads, see Fi res 1, 2 and 3.When overloaded ,this tlre acquires increased elective v strengthte-lcarry the overload, u to its maximum carryin capacity, see Figure 3.

The extreme hei ht of the tire cover in cross-section may a quarter lofan inch vmore than half its extreme width when manufactured in sizes 4to 6 inches wide, and the extreme height of the cover, in crosssectionmay be half its extreme width when manufactured from 7 to 8 inches wide,and

they extreme height of the cover in crOSS tion.

section may be considerably less than half its width when manufacturedover 8 inches wide, and the arc of a circle foundation 19 is preferablymanufactured in dimensions less than a semi-circle.

The tire is constructed having an abnormally strong and preferably thinsupple foundation 20, which foundation may be manufactured from Wovencord and be endless and abnormally strong in every direc- It is to bespecially noted that there are many fewer cubic inches of cordfoundation 20 in this type of tire than in existing types of inflatedtires of similar Widths and diameters, manufactured to carr similarloads. In this tire each abnorma ly strong foundation 20 is less than asemi-circle and has suitable right'and left .inextensible base beads 4and 5, between which base beads av suitable unstretchable endlessdistance piece 21 may lie, if required, which when used y tires.

keys the base beads 4 and 5 to the metal bed circumference of the Wheel.v

This tire'has no straight Walls or belly part, independent of its Widegable-like tread 2 and 3, as in existing types of inflated In fact thewhole of the tire cover, with the exception of its suitable inextensiblebase beads 4 and 5, is a shock-absorbing tread which is ever-changing ineffective Width when in use, according to the load carried, shockreceived, or ground travelled over, see Figures 1, 2 and 3.` The extremerims or flanges 6 and 7 of the wheel, which I will call the tireretaining rims or flanges, are smooth rounded flan es which extendoutwards from the metal d circumference of 'the wheel, overwhichmetalbed circumference 10 the base beads 4 and 5 of the tire are snuglyfitted, andunder load the smooth 'rounded flanges of the'wheel may comeinto contact with the extreme right and left edges of the tire, Withoutcausing any injury to the tire. l

In this type of tire cover abnormal flexing takes place adjacent to thetires centre line 9 Without injury to the tires strong foundation 20,because the tires foundation (being less than a semi-circle) iseasilybent back or reversed by the apex or extreme outer circumference 8 ofthe tire coming into road contact, and under all conditions of road workthe supple apex or extreme circumference 8 of the tire comes first intoroad contact, see Figure 1, and remains in close and biting (ntact withthe road, even when the tire is overloaded or under-inflated, seeFigures 2 and 3, or when the tire increases its effective Widthabnormally, see Figures 2 and 3.

The extreme supple apex 8 of the tread when it comes into road contactcauses the abnormally strong cord foundation 20 of the tire cover to bebent back or reversed without developing objectionable friction,

mechas see Figures 2 and 3, and curbstones cannot injure the rightl andleft edges or sides 2 and 3 of the tire cover as in existing inated tirecovers, because the widest part of the air chamber has a comparativelythick wall to protect it, instead of a thin wall as in existing types ofinflated tires, but this thick Wall does not interfere with the abnormalflexing of the tire in road contact, see Figures 2 and 3.

This tire is constructed practically unburstable, and if from .any causeit becomes deflated when running on the road, the Wheel of the chassisto which the tire is attached,

cannot drop more than say about the maximum give of the tire in roadcontact, which may be from say 1 to 2 inches, according to the Width oftire used, but the height orA ,f i

depth in cross-section of the air chamber even when the tire is 12inches Wide or more, is only about 2 inches. This tire can be run giantpneumatic tires of similar widths and" diameters, and an enormous savingis effected inthe cost of manufacture, particularly in Widths from say 8to 12 inches or more, as compared with .the cost of manu- 'ant-vinflated facturing existing types of tires, as lmanufactured in U. A.,ofvsimilar Widths and diameters.

This type of tire may be used to replace existing types of solid rubberband tires on commercial chassis, and on account of the height of thistire in cross-section being less than half its Width in the 4Widestsections, similar wheel diameters as are used at present for solidrubber band tires may be used with these tires, so that it is notnecessary to alter the design and dimensions of existing types ofbrake-drums and hubs, or alter the gear ratiotypes of chassis when relacing solid rubber band tires with this inflated type of tire.

When this type of tire is fitted to a commercial chassis instead ofexisting solid rubber band tires, its speed and range of movement perday is increased, particularly when travelling over bad or potfholeyroads, and this type of tire will save the premature breaking-up ofroads, because of its ability to spread abnormally circumferentially,and laterally as and when required, according to the load carried orshock received.

In this type of tire the height of the airchamber in the tirescross-section prevents the Wheel and tire ever being let down seriously,no matter what the width of the tire may be, if the tire ever becomesdelated when running on the road, see Figure. 3. Any suitable'type ofair tube and air valve may be used in this inflated tireI anda saving inirst cost is also eil'ected in manufacturing the air tube 22, as Well asin the tire cover 1 because of its small height compared with its widthin cross-section.

These tires may be constructed in all required dimensions and ofsuitable materials.

Claims.

1. An inflated tire constructed Without a belly part with a Widegable-like tread which is thewidest part of the tire and forms the Wholeof the tires'cover with the exception of its right and left inextensiblebase beads, the gabledike tread having suitable endless grooves andcavitiesand a flexible blunt .narrow extreme treading circumference or-apexformed on and adjacent to the tires centre-line.

2. A pneumatic tire having inextensiblebase beads at its sides arrangedto bear directly against a Wheel rim and an abnormally strong arcuatefabric or cord foundation less` than a', semi-circle, and also having agable-like tread forming the Widest part of the tire and terminating atthe sides short of said base beads, said tread having endless groovesand cavities,` and a flexible blunt narrow extreme'centrally arrangedtreading portion.

3. A pneumatic tire having inextensible of the tire and terminating atthe sides short l of said base beads, said tread having endless groovesand cavities7 and a flexible blunt narrow extreme centrally arrangedtreading portion, in combination with a wheel rim presenting across-sectionally flat outer periphery against which the said base beadsbear, and outwardly extending side flanges.v

4. A tire casing comprising a flexible foundation, arcuate in crosssection and less than a semi-circle and having inextensible base beads,and an outer cover on said foundation vand approximately triangular incross-section and extending on said foundation from side to side, saidcover having a blunt narrow extreme apex on its center line and endlessgrooves spaced. apart and arranged on the portions of the tread of thecover betweensaid blunt apex and the sides, the sides of said groovesbeing angularly related When the tire is in normal condition and'forming step-like annular shoulders on the tread of the tire. y

. In testimony whereof l ai'x my signature in presence of two witnesses.v

`EDWARD BRICE KILLEN,y

Witnesses: i

` JOHN LmDLE,

JOHN TRAIN LmDLE.

